On Bloodstones
by scribensdraconis
Summary: Thanks to the research journal left behind by Lagus Tradio, some of the mystery surrounding the origin, creation and use of bloodstones becomes less of a mystery.


_**Author's note:** Another late crosspost from Ao3 I completely forgot about, oops. These are translation from Lagus' cyphered journals Ignes received in my other work **The Madness of Lord Maduke**, which I took off ffn because of explict content. It's still on Ao3, for anyone who is interested._

* * *

Septmber 2, 1587  
The history of the world splits into the past and the future – which begins with this day. My assumptions that the approximate origin of the Blood Stones lies on the island of the werewolves turned out correct. I have found an old werewolf shaman who recognized the mineral I found in the old burial grounds as starstone. Curiously, the stone matches no other material I have found before, hence, I name it Unobtanium for the time being. I have absolutely no doubt that Unobtanium is the base for Bloodstone.  
In the next days, the construction of a research base in the mountains of the werewolves will begin. Maduke has been most cooperative, no doubt with hopes of benefiting from the results of my research. At least someone I can rely on.  
[…]

20 October 1620  
The further I continue my research, the more convinced I become that I almost cracked the secret of the bloodstone. It calls to me, taunts me. There is one missing step before I have all that is needed to create an unlimited amount of bloodstone – or very well limited by the natural occurrence of Unobtanium. No one can even begin to imagine what becomes possible thanks to the Bloodstone. This will not only advance nobles, but humans and werewolves all the same.  
If only I found a way for the stones to retain the power I imbue them with. Though I confirmed that Unobtanium ore can be transformed into bloodstone through the blood of a creature, none of my attempts at recreating the Noblesse's bloodstone succeeded. No bird, no mouse, no deer, not even a black bear could recreate the power I need.  
Though I hoped to avoid reaching this point, it seems that the bitter saying is true: nothing of worth comes for free. Maduke offered one of his prisoners as sacrifice. Without a better idea, I will have to accept his offer.

I wish Claudia was here. It is a drag, to be surrounded by werewolves at all times and to work in silence. I wish Ignes was here, always so keen and bright. Alas, I need my sweet Claudia to manage the affairs of the Clan for my return. As of Ignes... Maybe I can introduce her to work on Bloodstones once she is old enough to make her own choices.  
[….]

October 25, 1620  
Though I hate to admit it, Maduke's suggestion guides me in the right direction. Even though the prisoner was but a fairly weak werewolf of half human blood, his lifeforce greatly boosted the power of the bloodstone I tried to create. Though still much of his energy was lost in the process of creation, I am pleased. The correlation between the power of the sacrifice and the power of the resulting bloodstone cannot be denied.  
I must find a way to stabilize the process to minimize the loss of energy during creation.  
[…]

March 28, 1706  
To my great surprise, a humble indigenous people in the southern african continent inspired me to try a new approach. A small tribe in the deep forests believes that a stone they call 'idayimane' shields them from evil spirits stealing their souls. I have hence identitified it as common diamond and verified that it acts as an isolator. Though reluctantly, Roctis helped me acquire a vast number of large diamonds. I have coated the insides of a bowl made of obsidian with the diamonds Roctis acquired for me and, to my greatest delight and relief, it seems as though the energy-rejecting nature of the diamond helps conserve an essential amount of lifeforce when placing the virgin starstone in the bowl before proceeding with the sacrifice.  
Now I can begin.

1826 October 29  
The stones taunt me. For centuries I have been working on them and yet I still have not decoded all of their mysteries. The deeper I dig, the more questions I hit. Sometimes I feel like it sings to me. Almost. I am almost there.  
Maduke is running out of prisoners to hand over to me and my research. I have been studying how to implement them into people to enhance their power. Soon enough, I might have to turn to the Union once more and request research subjects from them. Ignes succeeded in a modification of a group of humans last year. Her work might serve as a sound base to prepare human specimens for the enhancement with the power of bloodstones.  
I have noticed changes in the behaviour of those subjects that survived. They became agitated and aggressive. The extensive use of depressants has become necessary for two out of ten enhanced werewolves in my laboratory.  
**Hypothesis**: the more powerful the Bloodstones inserted, the stronger and faster the changes in personality occur. I must find out how to counter-act these effects if I am to use them on myself, which is still the ultimate goal.  
[…]

June 26, 1855 As I suspected, bloodstones lose their energy over time. As miraculous as they may be, they still obey the great cosmic laws that all are subjected to, Lords and worms alike. Energy is never born from nowhere and must always stem from a source.  
**Hypothesis**: a bloodstone can be charged with energy while its carrier is in a resting state if the bloodstone is placed correctly. Within the heart? At the current state of technology, my approach at human test subjects is doomed to fail. Their regeneration, even enhanced within current limits, is too slow to allow an effective surgery on their heart. I will need to retrieve noble and werewolf specimens to test my theories.  
Human souls should suffice for the creation of reasonably decent bloodstones for test purposes, until then.  
[…]

November 20, 1868  
Placed within the heart chamber, with blood washing over them the whole time, bloodstones slowly regain their energy over time. This placed a critical strain on the system especially after strong exertion. This means, that only sufficiently powerful individuals can use them with what one may call relative safety. To draw upon the force of a bloodstone within must be a deliberate choice for a decisive strike that will end the battle.  
Even though I learned so much about these stones, I feel that I am still not done. I shan't rest until I have extracted even the last of their secrets and made them mine.  
[ ... ]

June 11, 1880  
My frustration grows with each year. A final component that makes the stones usable is still missing. At this point, I have reached out to most cultures that seem to possess at least basic knowledge of the spiritual and the arcane. The rise of technology in the northern hemisphere is a bothersome hindrance to that. Steam machines and Christianity both are eradicating precious ideas I might have gained from indigenous people of the remote corners of this world.  
Progress in medicine might make the use of human test subjects viable again. Frail as their biology may be, it might offer new possibilities.  
[…]

June 18, 1886  
None of the bloodstones I created can live up to the original stone I obtained from the Noblesse which has been guarded so diligently. The original bloodstone sits on my desk as I write, singing to me. This precious stone I have grown to love so much. One day, we will be one, and my heart will clench against it in joy.  
The possibilities will be endless once I harness the power of the master stone. I called it the Godstone, for all the bloodstones I could create were but chips of the original masterpiece. Powerful they may be, but none good enough.  
My research into the effects of the bloodstones have progressed. Maduke, in his unfailing generosity, placed a warrior at my disposal who seemed to have supported the bloodstones much better than any of my weak previous subjects. The hypothesis that the power of the host corresponds to their resistance to the detrimental effects of the stone appears to be supported by this observation.  
[…]

August 18, 1907  
Roctis' liberal use of a contract to tie a member of the Union to him has inspired me. Though one should not breach the sanctity of the contract to secure political power, I have been reminded once more that the blood is but a vessel to the soul.  
In a fit of mad frustration, I have stepped outside the boundaries of previous experiments and anything caution would suggest and poured my own blood unto a soaked stone. This stone infused with the blood of a half-werewolf and my own sits in the bowl still and I must decide how to proceed with it. The use of my own precious blood felt like direst betrayal, to myself, the principles of science and to the Godstone.  
[…]

February 22, 1920  
Refusing to waste an otherwise perfectly good bloodstone, I replaced the warrior's stone with the one I imbued with my own blood. Now, the stone I placed decades ago feels inert, even though its energy has been maintained by the body. Is the blood of a living being the key component to the creation of the stone? No stone I have created while maintaining the sacrifice alive has yielded similar results.  
**Hypothesis**: The addition of the blood of a living creature to an already created bloodstone is what gives the stones their power.  
If this is true, then whose blood is in the Godstone?  
[…]

June 1, 1921  
I cradled the Godstone in my hands and I felt something that should not be. An energy that was neither my own nor the stone's. I drew upon it, drew all until the last drop was gone. I only stopped drawing upon it when I heard the screams coming from the cells of my experiments.  
There, I found the werewolf dying, his energies almost fully depleted.  
A theory begins to form in my mind, one that might change everything, and one that I must keep from Maduke and all others carefully. No, not even my sweet Claudia must know about it.  
**Hypothesis**: a formed bloodstone can be attuned to a person through their blood. Then, they may draw upon the energy of that stone. If placed within a person, it will drain their lifeforce.  
[ … ]

November 4, 1934  
My theory still holds unfailing. There are several rules I have discovered on this path and they all seem to hold true.  
For one, a bloodstone's initial capacity of energy seems to be determined by the power of the soul sacrificed to it first. A stone made of a human can be filled with countless mice, but a stone made of mice will not hold all of the blood of a human. It is a fascinating prospect, to put an exact measure to the power of a soul with the help of the bloodstones.  
Two, a bloodstone cannot be reverted to Unobtanium, even if all power is drawn from it. It becomes inert, lifeless, dead. To my greatest joy, it is possible to restore the energy once held within the bloodstone.  
Three, humans appear to be capable of naturally drawing upon the power of bloodstones placed upon them, yet never past what seems to be a natural limit to them. Thus, while they make decent sacrifice material, they are no worthy vessels despite the progress the Union made thanks to Ignes.  
Four, all subjects to date have been befallen by what I call the Delusion of Blood. They have grown restless and aggressive to various degrees. Those who received attuned stones seemed to be easier to handle. Interestingly, they all seem to have harboured fantasies of doom and power. They thirst for blood and destruction, each and all of them. This effect appears proportional to the power of the stone and anti proportional to the power of their wearer.  
I trust the Godstone.  
[…]

January 3, 2009  
My heart is overwhelmed with joy, for the Godstone is now a part of me. The Godstone is home and I am home. My lifeforce has been invigorated, even in my youth, a distant echo of ages long go, I cannot remember having felt so vital. Exalted. It took me a thousand years to obtain the Godstone, and almost half as much to learn how to use it the way it was meant to.  
Maduke grows impatient, greedy to get his hands on the research he supported. This will not matter anymore soon enough. I wonder what he would do with this power in his hands. The attunement of stones opens a whole world of possibilities.  
One day, the Godstone will show me what can be done.


End file.
